A distributed parameters model for electric hot water tanks

To quantify the potential of electric hot water tanks (EHWT) in load shifting and other demand response programs, there is a need for a simple model allowing to reproduce their experimentally observed behavior. The input output response of this system is in fact relatively complex. This paper presents a model of an EHWT in the form of two simple one-dimensional partial differential equations, followed by an experimental validation. The model permits to quantify the effective energy available for consumption which is an important variable for control and optimization purposes.